Security guard held in slaying of rooming house janitor

WORCESTER — A well-known 52-year-old man, who grew up in a large family in Main South, was fatally shot Friday night at the Albion rooming house at 765 Main St.

Two men were arrested Friday night in connection with the fatal shooting, which tenants said happened near the laundry room near the back door on the first floor.

“Believe me, it was no joke here last night,” said Dionne Lariviere, a fifth-floor tenant and a self-described advocate for the homeless. “We were locked in our rooms for hours.”

Ms. Lariviere said investigators did not allow anyone to leave their rooms or building, and did not let anyone into the building for hours on Friday night. She said investigators questioned residents.

“Howard lived right beside me,” Ms. Lariviere said.

Howard F. Penn, 53, of 765 Main St., was charged with murder after being booked around 8:20 p.m., according to the Worcester police log. The victim was identified as Lloyd Worster, 52, a janitor at the rooming house. Mr. Worster was pronounced dead at St. Vincent Hospital. Police said on Saturday that a second man, rooming house resident Fabiano Sanabria, 33, was accused of being an accessory after the fact to the slaying, the city's first in 2014.

“Howard was a quiet, well-respected man who lived here for over 10 years,” Ms. Lariviere said. “The guy he shot has been bullying him for years. This building is known for crack. The shooting was personal. I think the bullying had everything to do with it.”

Police said they went to the rooming house's first floor security office after a report of a fight and a shooting around 5:45 p.m. Mr. Penn was employed by the building's management company to be the rooming house's security guard. Albion security personnel are not armed, police said, and Mr. Penn does not have a valid firearms license or an FID card.

On Friday night, police swarmed the multistory structure after 6:30 p.m., and around 9:30 p.m., one man was taken into custody and driven away in handcuffs in the back of an unmarked police car.

“We're all upset about this. We're upset that Howard is in jail,” Ms. Lariviere said. “Lloyd has messed with Howard for years and this is what it boils down to.”

Many people in the neighborhood knew Mr. Worster and remember his dog Duke, said Barbara Haller, former City Counselor.

“Lloyd had a big family on Oread Street, he was part of the fabric of the neighborhood,” Ms. Haller said. “He had his troubles over the years, no question about it. But he was a kind guy who cared about people, and he would help anyone out.”

Ms. Haller said Mr. Worster complained for years about the culture of the building.

“Everybody has a past,” said Hector Pineiro, a lawyer in Worcester, who said he knew Mr. Worster since 1998. “But he drove himself into sobriety. He took his job very seriously. I last spoke to him on Wednesday. Lloyd was a consummate craftsman. He was a kind, good human being.”

Other people in the area were equally as sad to hear about the shooting.

The victim, Mr. Worster, lived several blocks away from the rooming house on 20 King St. Mike Meagher, 26, who lives across the street in The Green House, a recovery house at 19 King St., said he just learned about the shooting Saturday.

“Nothing really surprises me,” Mr. Meagher said. He said he was sorry to hear about Mr. Worster, who he credited with getting him into a recovery program four years ago.

“He would give the shirt off his back so somebody would not have to go without,” Mr. Meagher said. “Lloyd took me under his wing, he was one of the pioneers of recovery, He said to me, you don't want to be like me in 10 years.”

In addition to the accessory accusation, Mr. Sanabria was charged with firearms and warrant violations, including improperly storing a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, accessory after the fact, being an armed career criminal and on a parole violation arrest warrant.

Mr. Penn and Mr. Sanabria will be arraigned in Central District Court on Monday.